Travel Luggage with Improved Shoe Compartments

ABSTRACT

A suitcase with an improved shoe compartment is disclosed. An outer shell to enclose contents being carried in the suitcase. A plurality of wheels movingly connected to the outer shell. A handlebar railing attached to the outer shell on one end and having a handlebar on the other end, for a user to control movement of the suitcase using the plurality of wheels. A shoe compartment includes four or more individual compartments for four or more pairs of shoes, accordingly. The second compartment slides up the handlebar railing, when the suitcase is stationary, to a supported position at a higher elevation than when the suitcase is mobile.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of priority as a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/942,984, filed Nov. 16, 2015 by Ardavan Yazdi which in turn claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/080,355, filed on Nov. 16, 2014, by Ardavan Yazdi, the content of each being hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to travel luggage, and more specifically, to travel luggage having various shoe compartments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Travel luggage is available in various forms. Generally, a large cavity is used to pack belongings during travel or when mobility is needed. Some luggage have pockets for toiletries and hanging items. Wheels allow the luggage to be rolled, and in particular, 360 degree wheels allow the luggage to be rolled in any direction. Also, rails extend a handlebar, allowing a traveler to roll the bag between locations.

However, conventional travel luggage is limited in options. First, most travel luggage is designed primarily, and often solely, for clothing or general items. This monolithic approach makes it difficult to keep various types of personal belongings separated. Further, it is difficult to view various items that are buried under one another. In particular, shoes are difficult to pack, being heavier than other items. The soles of shoes can undesirably soil a shirt with dirt. These problems are exponential for travelers that carry many pairs of shoes on a trip.

It is desirable to overcome these shortcomings with travel luggage having improved shoe compartments.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

To address shortcomings of the prior art, travel luggage with various improved shoe compartments and method of use for travel luggage, are disclosed.

In one embodiment, an outer shell encloses contents being carried in the suitcase. A plurality of wheels is rotatably connected to the outer shell. A handlebar railing is attached to the outer shell on one end and having a handlebar on the other end, for a user to control movement of the suitcase using the plurality of wheels.

The luggage includes a frame within the outer shell, having at least a first compartment for carrying a first content, and a second compartment for carrying shoes. For example, the second compartment can include four or more individual compartments for four or more pairs of shoes, accordingly. The second compartment slides up the handlebar railing, when the suitcase is stationary, to a supported position at a higher elevation than when the suitcase is mobile.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize variations of the examples given within, that are within the scope of the disclosure.

Advantageously, travel luggage can more easily transport shoes on commercial airplanes or for other purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In the following drawings, like reference numbers are used to refer to like elements. The Figures depict various embodiments for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following discussion that other embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the described principles.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage with a separated shoe compartment, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage with a separated shoe compartment having a variable height adjustment separate from the clothes compartment, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage with a separated shoe compartment that is removable from the separate clothes compartment, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage with multiple separated shoe compartments that are insertable to each other and together to the separate clothes compartment, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage that unfolds to open up a stacked show rack, according to one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Various Embodiments of the Improved Travel Luggage with Shoe Racks

Travel luggage with various improved shoe compartments and method of use for travel luggage, are disclosed. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize variations of the examples given within, that are within the scope of the disclosure. Advantageously, travel luggage can more easily transport shoes on commercial airplanes or for other purposes.

Embodiment 1—FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage 100 with a shoe compartment 110 separated from a clothing compartment 120, according to an embodiment. On the left, the shoe compartment 110 is shown integrated within the travel luggage 100, while one the right, the shoe compartment 110 is exposed with a flap pulled back. More specifically, the flap covers a top of the show compartment 110 which also serves as a top of the travel luggage. The flap is hinged or creased between a portion that covers the top and a portion that covers the side of the shoe compartment 110. In one embodiment, the flap folds and attaches to railings of handlebar with, for example, magnetic mating or Velcro. In some embodiments, the flap extends to cover some or all of the clothing portion 120.

The shoe compartment 110 elevates from within an outer casing for easier access. The shoe compartment 110 can rest on a stand in the space between the shoe and clothing compartments 110, 120. The outer casing can also have ridges of other supports attached to the inner sides to keep the shoe compartment 110 elevated. The shoe compartment 100 itself includes four compartments, but the number of compartments is implementation-specific. The floor, walls and ceiling of each compartment can be a soft canvas, a hard rubber to plastic, or any suitable material. In a preferred embodiment, the flap matches and conforms with the rest of the outer shell to appear as a traditional single cavity travel luggage.

The outer casing of the suit case 110 can be formed from leather, plastic, rubber, or any combination of materials. Optional features such as wheels, zippers, pockets, and the like can also be included.

Embodiment 2—FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage 200 with a separated shoe compartment 210 having a higher variable height adjustment separate from the clothes compartment 220, according to an embodiment. Once the travel luggage 200 in a resting position, the shoe compartment 210 slides to different heights along handlebar rails 215, in one embodiment. As a result, the user is able to view shoes at a higher position and does not have to bend over.

A kickstand or locking mechanism can hold the shoe compartment 210 at the desired height. The locking mechanism can have multiple notches at multiple heights for variability. Retraction of the kickstand or pressing an unlock button can release the shoe compartment 210 for lowering. The shoe compartment 210 has four separate compartments for four pairs of shoes. When in the lowered position, the two compartments 210, 220 aesthetically appear as a single unit. A flap can cover the four separate compartments. In one embodiment, a motorized suitcase mechanically lifts and lowers the shoe compartment 210 responsive to a button being pressed.

Although the shoe compartment 110 physically separates from the clothing compartment 120, an outer shell appears as a single unit when closed. The aesthetic designs, molding and materials can be integrated to continue over the two parts.

Embodiment 3—FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage 300 with a separated shoe compartment 310 that is removable from a clothes compartment 320, according to an embodiment. The clothes compartment 320 can be a standard roller bag modified according to the present disclosure.

The shoe compartment 310 can slide over the handlebar rails and fit snugly over the clothes compartment 320. Two channels on a back panel of the shoe compartment 310 allow a flush fit against the handlebar rails. Alternatively, a single channel is wide enough for the horizontally oriented handlebar to pass through. The compartments 310, 320 can be of the same material to appear integrated. Additionally, the shoe compartment 310 can be an aftermarket addition to any standard roller bag which may not be of the same material as the clothes compartment 320.

Embodiment 4—FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage 400 with multiple separated shoe compartments 405, 410 that are insertable to each other and together to the separate clothes compartment 420, according to one embodiment. As shown on the right view, when fully disassembled, there are three separate compartments 405, 410, 420 that stack on top of each other. In one embodiment, containers 405 and 410 can both slide over the handlebar to be held in place by the handlebar rails. In another embodiment, only container 405 is removable and container 410 is shares the same outer shell with the compartment 420. The compartment 405 can be a shoe compartment having, for example, four individual compartments for four pairs of shoes.

As shown on the left view, compartment 405 is nested within compartment 410. A zipper, buttons, snaps of the like can be closed to completely enclose the final exposed side of compartment 405. In this case, compartment 410 either does not have individual shoe compartments, or the dividers are removed to allow the nesting. In yet another embodiment, compartment 410 is further nested into compartment 420 for full nesting. For example, the travel luggage 400 can be disassembled for delivery of products and then nested after delivery.

Embodiment 5—FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating travel luggage 500 that unfolds to open up a stacked show rack, according to one embodiment. The travel luggage opens up to a full shoe rack with shoe compartment 510 on top of shoe compartment 520. Each of compartments 510, 510 includes 8 individual compartments for shoes. The individual compartments in this case are formed of pockets allowing the shoes to be slid in nose first and held in a mostly vertical position.

In a closed position, the compartment 510 folds over to face compartment 520 on the inner surfaces. The travel luggage 500 appears to be a standard roller bag.

II. Generalities of the Improved Travel Luggage with Shoe Racks

A travel luggage having various improved shoe compartments was disclosure herein. Generally, travel luggage refers to suitcases, roller bags, inventory bags, or any container for moving inventory. The travel luggage is preferably adapted to include commercial airline travel and overhead luggage bins, as well as other types of traveling and general mobility needs. The disclosure refers primarily to shoe compartments, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the compartments are modifiable for other types of inventory, such as jewelry, boots, pets, model cars, antiques, or the like. The travel luggage of the embodiments can be made of canvas, leather, plastic, rubber, or any combination of suitable materials.

In some embodiments, the various embodiments of travel luggage are FAA approved for carry-on to a commercial airplane and fit into standard overhead shelving. For example, a maximum size can be a depth of 9 inches, a width of 14 inches, and a length of 22 inches (or 22 cm×35 cm×56 cm). In another example, the sum of depth plus width plus length cannot exceed 45 inches. In other embodiments, the various embodiments are international travel compliant, are compliant with other standards, or are not intentionally compliant with any particular standard.

In other embodiments, wheels of the luggage can retract. For example, when a handlebar is lowered for lifting luggage or otherwise, the wheels can automatically retract to restrict motion from moving wheels.

As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the subject matter described herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Likewise, the particular naming and division of the portions, modules, agents, managers, components, functions, procedures, actions, layers, features, attributes, methodologies, data structures and other aspects are not mandatory or significant, and the mechanisms that implement the subject matter or its features may have different names, divisions and/or formats. The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain relevant principles and their practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize various embodiments with or without various modifications as may be suited to the particular use contemplated. 

I claim:
 1. A suitcase for carrying clothes and shoes, the suitcase comprising: an outer shell to enclose contents being carried in the suitcase; a plurality of wheels rotatably connected to the outer shell; a handlebar railing attached to the outer shell on one end and having a handlebar on the other end, for a user to control movement of the suitcase using the plurality of wheels; a frame within the outer shell, having at least a first compartment for carrying a first content, and a second compartment for carrying shoes, wherein the second compartment includes four or more individual compartments for four or more pairs of shoes, accordingly, and wherein the second compartment slides up the handlebar railing, when the suitcase is stationary, to a supported position at a higher elevation than when the suitcase is mobile.
 2. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein the higher elevation is approximately waist height for an average user.
 3. The suitcase of claim 1, wherein the outer shell is in a closed position when the second compartment is lowered down to rest on the first compartment.
 4. The suitcase of claim 1, further comprising: a support mechanism for the second compartment to maintain the higher elevation.
 5. The suitcase of claim 1, further comprising: a third compartment. 